Of course, the nice thing about a stay at Kona Isle D21, is, if you get a little warm at sea level, you can always take a cooling dip in the pool, or even hop in your car and drive up in elevation. Heck, you’ll need a parka for a trip up Mauna Kea.

If you’re not a big fan of crowds, September is a great month to visit. And since Hawaii is the biggest of all the Hawaiian Islands, there is no shortage of real estate public and private to lose yourself in.

We see there’s bit of an opening for five days beginning September 14. After that, it’s a long wait until June before our happy little home away from home is available again.

p.s. If you’re wobbling at all about a peaceful Hawaiian holiday at Kona Isle, the owners of D21 have been there recently to improve, tidy up and such. As a result, they’ve fallen in love with their oceanfront all over again. If they see any big blank spots staring ‘em in the face, they’re liable to book ‘em all up for themselves ;)

Now you can get your island visit on for even less.
Put yourself in the picture with gentle green sea turtles like the one in this video for a limited time only for 7 percent off the published rate for this quiet, and already reasonably priced oceanfront condo at Kona Isle.

This offer is valid (and void where prohibited) if you book your stay from July through Sept. 27, 2013.

This special offer, the last of the summer, must cover a booking reserved now through July 10. No travel agent commissions on this low, low price, applies only to a paid in full good cash, check, gold bullion or any other form of booking payment that does not result credit card charges to the owners.

Please mention this offer to Nick, our most courteous and industrious manager at Knudson & Associates in order to qualify.

We recommend Hawaiian Airlines for your flights, but off course, you are free to travel to the most geographically diverse of all the Hawaiian Islands via any method you choose -- kayak, swimfins, advanced time travel machines.

If Kona Isle isn't your cup of tea, you can find plenty more offerings to choose from courtesy of our highly recommended management company Knutson & Associates.

Aloha.
p.s. and by the way, the video above was shot with a simple Flip video camera, which proves you do not have to be an advanced professional to return home with a memory that lasts a lifetime. Also, for you people who cannot stand to be disconnected (and you know who you are) there's a private wifi network just for you.

We're often asked how the weather treats us while we're on the Big Island. In a word: wonderfully. Take a look at the views from OurKonaCondo.com (specifically Kona Isle D-21 now skillfully managed by Knutson & Associates) to see what we mean.

Okay, enough about generalities. In response to a few specific questions about what the weather is like in September, we quote from the official tourism Web site of the Hawaiian Island -- GoHawaii:

"There are really only two seasons: the summer months that extend from May to October and the winter months that run from November to April. The average daytime summer temperature at sea level is 85 degrees F. (29.4 C), while the average daytime winter temperature is 78 degrees (25.6 C). Temperatures at night are approximately 10 degrees F. lower. However, at higher elevations, temperatures can drop dramatically."

The Big Island, for the uninitiated, is much different than the other Hawaiian islands, in that it contains one of the world's most diverse collection of microclimates on a single island.

Depends upon how much running around you want to do while here, bruddah.

From the University of Hawaii-managed Web site, Pacific Disaster Center, we learn that the trade winds account for 70 percent of all the winds in Hawaii (rumor is Talking Story accounts for a significant other proportion;*).

The PDC.org site tells us the trades occur at a clip of 83 percent mean monthly frequency in September and about four percent of those days are classified as "strong." (One of those days when you want to stay OFF the water unless you really really must be on it.)

The off-the-record skinny on the weather in the fall is "depends." If the traditional trade winds take a break, there goes your ocean breeze.

In the space of a few minutes, where else can one view a stone's throw from shore, numerous green sea turtles, the state fish the humuhumunu, etc., schools of ravenous convict tang and scores of others but Kahalu'u?

Oh, there are most likely a few, but not many within minutes of OurKonaCondo.

Speaking of which, stay tuned for some exciting news from these parts and in the meantime, please enjoy these snaps of our fellow Earth beings.

There we were, about to attempt the dismount at Pu'uhonau o Honaunau, aka, The Place of Refuge, aka "Two Step" -- it can be quite tricky sometimes, so, were were trying to pay attention...when something unusual in the shallows caught our eye.

Cute little bugger, ain't he? Well, it was our first sighting of one, as apparently, they're good eating...

We learn from The Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center of the National Marine
Fisheries Service (NMFS) (part of the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA))), that...

"The commercial lobster fishery in Hawaii is a limited-entry trap
fishery that harvests said slipper lobster species in the Northwestern
Hawaiian Islands (NWHI).

The Northwestern Hawaiian Islands are an isolated range of islands,
islets, banks, and reefs which extend 1,500 nmi northwest of the main
Hawaiian islands from Nihoa Island to Kure Atoll."

Guess also, it's legal to take 'em around these parts, if: they are in season, (Sept. 1-April 31) at least 2-3/4 inches in tail width), and that certain permits may be required -- heck if we can figure out which -- and, since we like enjoying our sea life in the ocean (and thus, cannot eat "familiar" lobster), we won't spend much more time or space on it.

Kahalu'u Beach Park, a few hops skips and jumps from OurKonaCondo, is where we spotted gentle Honu here enjoying the pleasant conditions on Christmas Eve.
If you are ever fortunate enough to enjoy a swim with a sea turtle (keeping a respectful distance of course, as they are federally protected) you'll find it a life-changing experience. Our ocean's creatures go about their business, quietly, and out of view of most of the world, in a fashion we could all learn a bit from.
We wish to take this opportunity to extend warm holiday wishes to all friends and ohana, and especially Steve's Mom, Marie, who so dearly loves turtles of all shapes and sizes.
With Aloha . . . S & MLP ...

Budding shooters and those hoping to hone their skills further have a number of options (and, of course, you can always plan for next year.

Options for the event include merely attending the daily seminars by the photo pros, participating in the contents by book your own dives or those by shore. And of course, if you are "mondo", you can still get into the "whole Enchilada."

Good thing we had Capt. Steve Juarez on the dive to point it out for us, because these little critters are well camouflaged as you can see.

Some of the science stuff here we attribute it to a cool web site called Tree of Life.

"Frogfishes of the family Antennariidae are typically small, globose anglerfishes easily distinguished from members of allied families by the presence of three well-developed dorsal spines, laterally directed eyes, a large, anterodorsally directed mouth, and a short, laterally compressed body (Pietsch, 1981). They share with other families of the teleost order Lophiiformes a peculiar and unique mode of feeding that is characterized most strikingly by the structure of the first dorsal spine, which is placed out on the tip of the snout and modified to serve as a luring apparatus."

Well, it's this, again, attributing to TOL. It seems that frogfishies such as these "spend the greater part of their lives squatting on the bottom."

Now we ask you, is this any way to live?

They are rather sedentary, and hence, this attributes to their portly, if not somewhat rotund appearances.

Now it doesn't take a rocket scientist (or even a marine biologist( to see that the only thing a frogfish is going to interest in this world, is another frogfish. (Unless you believe in fairy tales, which we do not). Or, they're also equipped with a luring appendage. If a terribly nearsighted fishie gets too close will will be unceremoniously sucked into a hungry frogfishie's mouth via a very efficient vacuum-like method.